Permaculture, a Different Shade of Green
by Wes - August 20th, 2010So, I am getting really excited for my upcoming Permaculture Design Certification course. It is being offered through the Regenerative Design Institute based out of Bolinas, CA, but we will actually be working and learning on the campus of D-Q University in Davis, CA. This is actually double-awesome for me, because having grown up so near the rez in New Mex, I am really looking forward to getting the grounds up to snuff and working with some tribal elders in the process.
As I have really begun to think about how permaculture works, and more importantly, how I can put it to work, I have found myself increasingly inspired. For several years I've wanted to have "a job that matters" beyond just a paycheck. To be frank, the 9-5 of office work is mundane and seems almost trite compared to the things that are going on in the world at any given moment. Recognizing this, I've sought out a way to transform my energies and desire into concrete action that goes beyond some corporate bottom line and my own bank account. I believe permaculture is that vehicle.
I saw a fascinating exhibit in downtown San Rafael this morning, while I was out and gathering supplies for my upcoming PDC. A photographer was having an exhibit that dealt with farm workers in California over a span of 8 years. The pictures were haunting, real, and dug through the stereotypes many people hold about these workers. You see the results of bar fights, the old braceros who are going home for the last time, the children that are sometimes stranded in the work camps. There weren't any pictures of cheery seasonal workers gladly picking strawberries for gabuchos and kicking back with Coronas at night. This was real, the reality of exploited people that make up the bulk of the labor force that feeds this country. It was impossible not to walk out of that gallery and not feel the need to put myself to work to affect change. How many people in California pay any mind to where their food comes from, much less the conditions under which it was planted, tended and harvested?
I see my involvement with permaculture as just the beginning of a great change. I am but one agent, but there are more of us every day, and the consciousness expands with each individual. We can have a just and verdant world, it will just take time and dedication. For one, I am making the commitment.
"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement." — Inuit elders
Hat tip to 